hey guys. quick question for you. since my firearms budget isn't quite what it used to be (married w/ kids), i can't go just buying and trying anymore. i've always been a huge fan of eotechs on my short to mid-range rifles. the one downside has been the batteries. they even die sitting in my safe.

for those of you who own or have owned both, what do you see as the advantages and disadvantages of one vs the other? i'm not looking for any other suggestions. i know some of you guys love your aimpoints. i'm just not one of them. i like the reflex style red dots better. i know all about the "advantages" of the tube style, so don't try to lecture me. i just want to hear the good and bad of the mepro-21 as it compares to the eotech from other eotech lovers.

Just depends on you. The Mepro-21 is nice and requires no batteries, uses fiber optics during the day and tritium at night. The triangle and bullseye reticle (4.3 or 5.5 MOA vs the 1 MOA in the EoTech) is larger than the EoTech. The only bad thing is that the tritium will die, eventually and need to be replaced. It has a 10 year warranty but will one be able to replace it when it is gone? The FO capability will still work during the day after the tritium has gone dead.

The EoTech uses a laser for its HUD which uses more power vs. the LED diode that is used in the Aimpoint.

While i lean towards Trijicons sights I prefer these ones over EoTechs because of the reticle. If your eyes aren't perfect EoTechs can get blurry which was a huge downer when i got mine. Now any sight with an actual 'post' built in my eyes can see perfectly. It has to be the ones that have tritium posts or fiber optics to have that effect.

__________________E-Shock rounds are engineered to expend maximum energy into soft targets, turning the density mass into an expanding rotational cone of NyTrilium matrix particles, causing neurological collapse to the central nervous system.- Yeah I can do that.
I guarantee you will know it if a bicyclist hits your house going 1000 mph.

i didn't realize the dot was so much bigger in the mepro-21! that is good information. granted, i'm usually not going for extreme precision with the eotech, but at 75yds, that size dot could obstruct your view of something the size of a groundhog pretty well.

Quote:

If your eyes aren't perfect EoTechs can get blurry which was a huge downer when i got mine. Now any sight with an actual 'post' built in my eyes can see perfectly. It has to be the ones that have tritium posts or fiber optics to have that effect.

i've found that the trick to get the eotech to focus is to focus past the reticle, onto the target. if you focus on the reticle, it gets big and blurry. i also like to mount it a good way down the rail.

__________________E-Shock rounds are engineered to expend maximum energy into soft targets, turning the density mass into an expanding rotational cone of NyTrilium matrix particles, causing neurological collapse to the central nervous system.- Yeah I can do that.
I guarantee you will know it if a bicyclist hits your house going 1000 mph.

I've owned both. While I love the Eotech's reticle, it's simply not as rugged/dependable/KISS as the M21.
The M21's extremely rugged, comes w/an excellent QD mount & ARD, and the reticle is sharp & crisp even w/my astigmatism.
Downside to the M21 is that the reticle can wash out under certain lighting conditions (like aiming out a window into bright sunlight from a dark room).
Regardless, I've sold all my Eotechs and the M21 w/triangle reticle is my current KISS optic of choice (YMMV).
Tomac

While I didn't own the mepro, I owned the Trijicon version of basically the same thing. It washed out in high sun, depending on the back drop, so I got rid of it. The polarizer that came with it helped, but that broke rather quickly.

As for being more rugged than an Eo-tech I would have to disagree. I have seen EO-techs and Aimpoints go through hell and back, if you did something to break one chances are it would break almost anything else.

If an EO-tech looks blurry, chances are you are trying to focus on the reticle like someone else stated. They are a holographic optic, meant to be shot with two eyes open while focusing on your target. Focusing on the target past the reticle makes it look crisper.

I do prefer my Aimpoint T1, however I do really like the EO-techs, and even SOCOM went with one as well. The 1 moa dot and larger circle IMHO is the best of both worlds in a red-dot sight.

I know you said Aimpoint is not your thing and this is fine, however looking through my Trijicon Relfex and looking through my T1 is about the same.

If you want a more open sight I would definitely lean towards the EO-tech, and depending on the features there are plenty of models, the compact ones like the XPS are nice.

I would normally agree that betweem Aimpoint and EOtech I do not have a preference... but on my main AR I switched out my EOtech for an Aimpoint T1 on a Larue 660 and never looked back. I favor it only because it is so compact, and lightweight, easy to use, and basically no frills to it. The battery life is also insane on them.

That being said I love EOtechs as well. I used to agree with you on the cluttered reticle, however I find myself getting more and more used to them. I believe the EOtech close in gets your eye drawn in a little quicker, also I am drooling over high powered scopes with Horus Reticles that I used to look at and think OMG.

The only bad thing is that the tritium will die, eventually and need to be replaced. It has a 10 year warranty but will one be able to replace it when it is gone? The FO capability will still work during the day after the tritium has gone dead.

The 1/2 life of the tritium in the Mepro 21 is 10 years. However, someone in Ar15.com stated they have one for 15 years, and it is still usable at night.

Be aware that the sight uses Fiber Optics in the daytime. No matter what, the optic will work in the daytime.

I love the Mepro 21 - In fact, I just ordered my 3rd one this morning... But I would suggest NOT getting the bullseye version. I tried it on someone else's gun once. At 50 yards, it blocks out too much of the target because the bullseye is so big.

But, I HIGHLY recommend getting the 13 MOA triangle reticle version. This is the version I like... It is fantastic.... You use the tip of the triangle for precision shots. This allows you to see your target. and for CQC, you just put the triangle on the target.

The newest Revision M is a lot less likely to wash out too. I tried a Mepro a few years ago and returned it. But, any model made since 2012 is the latest version. And, as the first four digits of the serial # is the year and month of manufacture, you can tell right away if you have one made from 2012 onward...

And, honestly - concerning the above comments... 10 years is a long time. I previously bought my first PS90 in 2006. I bought a 511 EOtech for it. A few years later, EOtech released the XPS model. I sold the 511 and bought an XPS. I've also bought and sold other optics over the years.

New things will alwayscome out. The Mepro can be gotten for $450-$500 usually.

I have used Aimpoints and EOtechs before, and I even spent a long time looking at Aimpoints again at the store when I bought a new rifle today... But, my eyes have gone bad as I get older, and I see phantom dots with both of them. The triangle reticle looks fine to me on the Mepro, though.

If interested in more info, see this mini review on the Mepro 21 I did a while back:

Regarding Eotech ruggedness, I've read multiple reports of batteries draining when turned off, HUDs delaminating, loss of zero, loss of nitrogen purge, electronic glitches requiring the batteries to be removed before it would function again and even parts coming loose internally.
Please show me any report from anywhere about any physical or mechanical failure of an M21 (or Trijicon Reflex) that wasn't washout related.
Tomac

Regarding Eotech ruggedness, I've read multiple reports of batteries draining when turned off, HUDs delaminating, loss of zero, loss of nitrogen purge, electronic glitches requiring the batteries to be removed before it would function again and even parts coming loose internally.
Please show me any report from anywhere about any physical or mechanical failure of an M21 (or Trijicon Reflex) that wasn't washout related.
Tomac

I had a Trijicon Reflex with the 4moa dot that was "developed for US Special Forces" on a 14.5'' BCM rifle a few years back that just flat out broke. I was a member of Trijicon's pro-staff at the time so I only paid half price for it, and they replaced it no questions asked.

First the polarizer they send with it.... since they are easily washed out in the sun... sorry, I liked the optic, but it did wash out, maybe the newer Mepro is better like someone stated idk. First that broke, and by broke I mean literally separated itself into pieces. After that the front of the sight, the clear plastic where the fiber optics sat, the glue started to come undone than one day that fell off... this gun was never used heavily or abused either.

Trijicon is a great company... even more so when you're on their pro-staff discount, and replaced it, however I turned around and traded for an Eo-Tech. I never had any problems with my EO-techs and I have owned about 5 of them. Even the cheapest 512 model I bought used. If you are having battery issues with your EO-tech I would call them and send it back, simple as that. However I have seen a lot of guys claim battery issues, when they didn't know how to properly turn them off.

One of my co-workers has the Tavor and keep urging him to buy the Mepro sight that goes with it, I am not against them in any way, but EO-Tech, Trijicon, and Aimpoint are my usual go to's.

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